Suspension-railway truck.



F. O. BUTLER 6L S. C. ROCKMAN-l SUSPENSION RAILWAY TRUCK. APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1909.

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P. 0. BUTLER a s. o. ROGKMAN. SUSPENSION RAILWAY TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1909. 9.45 7 50 Patented Jan. 11, 1910.

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SUSPENSION RAILWAY'TRUGK. v APPLIGATIONIHLED MAY'l'z. 1909.

Patented Jan. 11,1910.

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Mimosas ANDREW. s. GRAHAM ca.. PHow-Lrmccmmizns. WASHINGTON, D. c.

E. o. BUTLER a. s. c. ROGUMN. SUSPENSION RAILWAY TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1909. I 945,7 50.

Patented Jan. 11,1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK O. BUTLER AND SOREN C. ROCKMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SUSPENSION-RAILWAY TRUCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK O. BUTLER and SOREN C. ROCKMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suspension- Railway Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in suspension railway trucks, the object of the invention being to provide an improved truck which will support motors, and which will position the car reasonably close to the rail-supporting longitudinal girder, so as to economize space, and economize the cost of building a railway of this character, as every inch of space reduction between the car and the longitudinal girder means just that much lower construction of suspension railway, and consequent strength and economy.

A further object is to provide an improved trolley carried by the truck, and so positioned as to prevent any possibility of the wheels of the truck leaving the track by reason of vertical movement.

A further object is to provide improved means for preventing lateral movement of the truck relative to the supporting girder and rails, and provide improved means for supporting the truck and car in the event a wheel should break.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a view partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating our improvements. Fig. 2, is a plan view of the truck removed. Fig. 3, is a view in longitudinal section through the truck. Fig. 4, is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the truck and car. Fig. 5, is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating the car supporting mechanism. Fig. 6, is a detail view of the trolley and the thirdrail. Figs. 7 and 8 are views of other details of construction.

1 represents the rails of a suspension railway structure, supported upon 'a girder 2, and upon which the wheels 3 of our improved truck 4 are adapted to run. The forward wheels 3 are preferably double flanged as shown, while the rear or trailers Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 17, 1909.

Patented Jan. 11, 1910.

Serial No. 496,369.

3 are preferably provided with but a single flange.

The side frames 5 of truck 4 are provided with elongated bearings 6 for the axle stubs 7 upon which wheels 3 are secured, and the forward axle stubs 7 which project through motor casings 8 are driven by motors within the casings, and these casings and motors are supported upon brackets 9 integral with the side frames 5, and having strengthening webs 10, and posts 11, said posts being made with openings 12 to receive the axle stubs 7 and strengthen the construction at this point. The side frames are connected by a cross bar 13. Rounded flanges 14 are provided on the sides of frames 5, and are overlapped by angles 15 on a cross bolster 16, said cross bolster pivotally connected to bar 13 by means of a king bolt 17, so as to afford a swiveled connection between the truck and the car, and the angles 15 resting upon flanges 14 serve to hold the car firmly on the truck.

The car 1S is provided with upwardly projecting rods 19 projecting through openings in the ends of bolster 16, and through the hooked ends 2O of angle bars 21, extending down beside the car, and secured to and forming a part of the frame work of the car. Nuts 22 are screwed onto the upper ends of rods 19, and coiled springs 23 are provided around the rods between the bolster 16 and the hooked ends 20, so as to allow an elastic support for the car within certain limits, and collars 24 are fixed on the rods below the bolster to limit this elastic movement of the car relative to the bolster.

Both side frames 5 are provided with angle plates 25, secured to their inner faces and positioned above the rails 1, and located at a point approximately half-way between wheels 3, 3, at both sides of the truck. These angle plates as above stated, are normally out of contact with the rails, but should one of the wheels 3 break, or one of the axle stubs give way, the plate 25 would fall upon the rail and hold the truck upon the structure, and prevent falling of the car.

The bar 13 at its center is provided with a pocket 26, which serves to guide the vertical movement of a forked bracket 27, the latter carrying the trolley wheel 28, and said wheel 28 is normally held in contact with the thirdrail 29, so as to carry the current from the third-rail to the motors in casings 8, the circuits not being shown. To normally hold the trolley against-the third-rail, a spring 30 is located in the pocket below bracket 27, and it will be observed that the distance of movement of the bracket within the pocket is very slight, in fact, this distance is measured so that it will be quite impossible for the bar l?) to move upwardly far enough to raise wheels 3, so as to allow the flanges of the wheels to move laterally from the rails. In other words, the movement permitted the bar or the bracket as the case may be, is less than the depth of the flanges of the wheel, so that this trolley not only serves to carry the current, but also serves to prevent the wheels jumping from the rails of the structure.

The third-rail 219 is spaced from the girder 2 by a strip or plate of insulation 31, and

insulating angles 32 are provided at the sides of the third-rail to protect it from dripping water and other current carrying materials,

A great many slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of parts described without departing from our invention, and hence we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details set forth, but consider ourselves at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a truck for suspension railways, the combination with side frames, wheels, axle stubs in said wheels supporting the side frames, motors on said axle stubs, a cross bar connecting said side frames, and providing at its center and ends a support for a car.

2. In a truck for suspension railways, the combination with wheels, axle stubs in said wheels, side frames supported on said axle stubs, motors on said axle stubs, brackets on said side frames supporting said motors, a cross bar connecting said side frames, and providing at its center and ends supports for a car;

3. In a truck for suspension railways, the combination with wheels, axle stubs on the wheels, side frames supported on the axle stubs, and a cross bar connecting said side frames, of a bolster, a swiveled connection between said bolster and said cross bar, flanges on said side bars, angles on said bolster movable on said flanges, a car, and means for securing the car on said bolster.

4. In a truck for suspension railways, the combination with wheels, axle stubs on the wheels, side frames supported on the axle stubs, and a cross bar connecting said side frames, of a bolster, a swiveled connection between said bolster and said cross bar, flanges on said side bars, angles on said bolster movable on said flanges, a car, rods secured to the car and projecting through openings in the bolster, hooks secured to the car and projecting over the bolster and having openings to receive said rods, nuts on the upper ends of said rods above said hooks, and springs around said rods between the bolster and said hooks.

5. In a truck for suspension railways, the combination with wheels, axle stubs in the wheels, side frames supported on the axle stubs, cross bars connecting the side frames, a bolster swiveled between its ends to the center of said cross bar, flanges on said side frames, hooks on said bolster proj ect-ing over said flanges, a car, bars secured to the sides of said car and having hooked upper ends projecting over the outer ends of the bolster, said bolster and said hooked ends of the bars having registering openings, rods secured in the car and projecting through the registering openings in the bolster and the hooked ends of said bars, nuts on the upper ends of said rods, springs on said rods between the bolster and the hooked ends of said bars, and collars fixed to said rods below said bolster.

G. In a truck for suspension railways, the combination with two pairs of double flanged wheels, and two pairs of single flanged wheels, axle stubs in said wheels, side frames on said axle stubs, motors on the axle stubs on said double flanged wheels, a cross bar connecting said side frames, and a car suspended from said cross bar and side frames.

7. In a truck for suspension railways, the combination with wheels, axle stubs on the wheels, side frames supported on the axle stubs, a cross bar connecting the side frames and providing at its center and ends supports for a car, and angles secured to the inner faces of said side frames, and positioned slightly above the lower line of said wheel treads.

8. In a truck for suspension railways, the combination with wheels, axle stubs in the wheels, side frames supported on the axle stubs, a cross bar connecting said side frames, and providing at its center and ends supports for a car, a trolley on said cross bar, and means permitting elastic movement of said trolley within certain limits, whereby said wheel may act to limit upward movement of the truck.

9. In combination with a longitudinal girder, rails on the sides of said girder, and an electric conducting rail secured to the lower face of said girder and insulated therefrom, of a truck mounted to run on said rst mentioned rails, a cross bar on said truck projecting below the girder and providing at its center and ends supports for a car, and a trolley on said cross bar normally in contact with said electric conducting rail.

10. In combination with a longitudinal girder, rails on the sides of said girder, and

an electric conducting rail secured to the lower face of said girder and insulated therefrom7 of a truck mounted to run on said first mentioned rails, a cross bar on said truck projecting below the girder, a pocket on said bar, a bracket guided in said pocket, a trolley wheel in said bracket contacting with the electric conducting rail, and a spring in the bottom of said pocket exerting upward pressure on said bracket.

ll. In combination with a longitudinal girder, rails on the sides of said girder, and an electric conducting rail secured to the lower face of said girder and insulated therefrom, of a truck mounted to run on said first mentioned rails, a cross bar on said truck projecting below the girder, a pocket on said bar, a bracket guided in said pocket, a trolley wheel in said bracket contacting with the electric conducting rail, and said bracket spaced from the bottom of said pocket a distance less than the depth of flanges of the truck Wheels.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of 25 two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK O. BUTLER. SOREN C. ROCKMAN.

Witnesses:

R. H. KRENKEL, J. A. L. MULHALL. 

